Improvement in straw-cutters



UN rrED STATES JOHN K. ONEIL, OF CANTON, ASSIGNOR TO THE STAR AGRICULTURAL PATENT OFFTGE.

WORKS, OF RAVENNA, 01110.

IMPROVEMENT I N STRAW-CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 172.646, dated January 2-5, 1876; application filed November 7, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN K. ONEIL, of Canton, in the county of Stark and 'State of Ohio, have invented an Improved Stalk, Hay, and Straw Gutter; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification:

Figure 1 being a side view of the machine Fig. 2, a top view of the same; Fig. 3, aside view of the cutter-wheel Fig. 4, a section of the wheel in a plane indicated by the line w 00, Fig. 3; Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, views in detail.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

The nature of my invention consists in certain improvements in revolving shear-knife stalk, hay, and straw cutters, the knives of which are attached to a revolving fly-wheel, and cut in connection with a stationary blade secured to the end of the cutting-box, the improvements relating principally to the construction and arrangement of the knives on the wheel, and to the device for feeding the material by a quick and intermittent motion between the cutting movements of the knives, substantially as herein specified.

In the drawings, A represents the cuttingbox; B, the cutter-wheel; G, one of the cut ting-knives attached thereto; E, the stationary knife attached to the end of the cuttingbox; and G H, the feed-rollers. The cuttingknives O are attached to arms a at extending from the hub b to the rim 0 of the wheelB. Each knife 0 is formed into a series of distinct cutters from a plate of steel, a part of which forms the flange d, whereby the knife is secured to the wheel-arm a. Each separate cutter thereof has a portion, f, projecting from the flange d at right angles, or nearly so,

thereto, and another portion, g, is bent at right angles, or nearly so, to the portion f, and is in a plane to cut parallel and in connection with the stationary cutterE of the cutter-box. The entire edges both of the parts f and parts 9 are sharp, and cut one part parallel with and the other part across the fiber of the stalks. Therefore the whole longitudinal extent of the knife or set of cutters has a cutting edge. All the separate cutters f g f 9 may be formed from a single plate of steel, or each may be a separate plate attached to the wheel-arm, the several cutters divided one from another, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. These cutters C may be used for slitting and choppingthe stalks, and for comminuting the pieces cut off, and they may be made also to serve the purpose of severing the pieces from the stalks; or separate severingknives may be added to sever after the comminution at each cut of the knife-wheel.

The flange h of the cutters is sunk ina re.- cess of the Wheel-arm a, as shown in Fig. 5, the back edge of the flange resting against a lip, i, of the arm, as shown, and the inner sur face of the arm a retreats somewhat from the cutting-plane of the knives toward the rear edge of the knife-flange, as shown in the same figure, so that the pieces of stalks may clear themselves readily as fast as severed, and no obstruction takes place by clogging between the knife-flange and the stationary knife E on the cutting-box.

The cross cutting edges 9 g of the cutters have an oblique position in relation to the stationary knife E, in connection with which they have ashearing cut, the angle of cut being uniform for all the cutters in relation to the said stationary knife, and the arrangement of these separate cutters is in a curved line, as seen in Fig. 6, so that one cutter will follow another in action in regular succession. It also will be seen that each cutter collects the straw and stalks into its oblique corners in separate bunches, thus cutting surely, and each doing its own allotted work, the stalks being held to the action of the several cutters without any chance of escape therefrom.

I arrange the cutter-wheel B on the cuttingbox A, and its cutters O with the knife E on the cutting-box, so that the cutting takes place close to the hub or the shaft of the wheel, where the greatest leverage is obtained for the power, whereby, also, is obtained increased length of cutting-edge, thus enabling me to use a wheel of less diameter with equal capacity for work. To enable this to be accomplished I widen the throat or delivery end of the cutter-box, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. In

3 notches m m of the feed-roller bearings by'setscrews n n. Longitudinally beneath this knife is situated a supporting-plate, o, placed vertically edgewise, as shown most clearly in Fig. 8. The cutting-knife E, being thus supported, may bemade much thinner than otherwise would be necessary, and no obstruction is offered by the thin supporting-plate 0 to the working of the cutters. The feed-rollers G H are fluted with concave grooves, and work together, as shown in in Fig. 8, the upper roller G being pressed down upon the lower roller H by a coiled spring, 1;,ldrawing upon a forked rod or bail, q, attached to the two projecting journals of the said upper roller. In order to do the best work, and with the least expenditure of power, the stalks, straw, or'hay should be fed along quickly between the times when the wheel-cutters come round to the stationary knife. The improved mechanical device represented in the drawings, applied for moving the feed-rollers, accomplishes the purpose here stated in a perfect. manner. The constructionof the device is substantially as follows: Upon one projecting end of each feed-roller shaft or journal is attached a double ratchet-wheel, rthat is, there are ratchetteeth both on the periphery and on the outer face of each wheel. The peripheral ratchet-teeth of the two wheels are for receiving detents s s, to hold the rollers against backward movement.

Against the ratchet-face of each wheel an- 7 other wheeLor disk, if, having ratchet-teeth on its contiguous face, and mounted loosely on the roller-journal, is pressed bya coiled spring, u, also on the journal of the roller. The ratchetteeth on its face are matched to those on the face of the adjacent ratchet-wheel so that the disk will couple with the ratchet-wheel when it is moved forward,and thereby will turn the feed-roller forward but when the ratchetdisk is moved backward its teeth will slip over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, the sprin g u allowing the disk 'to ride over the face of thewlieel,which is held byits detents against turning backward with the disk.

The ratchet-disks t t are vibrated axially to produce the forward movements of the feedrollers through the ratchet-wheels, as above specified, by means ofa reciprocating sliding bar, 7), one end of which is pivoted to one of the disks, and connected, by means of a side arm or connecting-rod, with the other disk, and pivoted thereto, as shown in Fig. 1. To this sliding bar an intermittent reciprocating movement is imparted by means of a cam, w, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) on the driving-shaft I of the machine. The forward movement of the sliding bar is produced directly by the abrupt shoulders of the cam acting against a projection, 'c, on the said bar; and the backward movement thereof is effected by the same cam striking'the rear spur of a pivoted vibratory lever, z, the upper end of which is coupled to the said sliding bar, as represented. The driving-shaft I, on which this cam is secured, is geared by bevel-gear wheels, as shown, to the shaft of the cutter-wheel B, so that the cam may always be properly timed to produce the movements of the feed-rollers between the actions of the cutters.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isp 1. The cutters 0, having double cutting edges f g, for cutting in difierent directions, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The combination of the recessed cutterwheel arm at, having the supporting-lip 'i, the cutter-flange plate h, and the stationary knife E,substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. The feed-roller bearing is, constructed to support the shaft of the cutter-wheel B, and one end of the stationary knife E, and provided with the offset Z, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

4:. The ratchet-wheels r r, in combination with the ratchet-disks t t, the reciprocating bar 0), cam w, and vibratory cam-lever 2, subtantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

JOHN K. ONEIL. 

